Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormende
Hey Davey, I have another question for you. It might seem dumb but remember I am just a virtual sailor so, how was the life inside a sub? With a bunch of people canned inside such a small place, did they get into fights or were strong bonded? Was the odor bad - I know the modern subs have some fancy ventilation system but what about the WWII era ones? Showers, WC? How did the crew ate? I do not think they had a mess room like the nuclear powered ones, right?
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Hey guys!
Sorry about the extended time away. The Navy has kept me busy.
There were several great technical advances for USN submarines in the 1930's, several of which directly contributed to improving the habitability of the boats.
Air conditioning was originally intended for reducing the humidity levels inside the boat and thus greatly reduced the number of condensation induced electrical fires. It had the happy side effect of cooling the air as well. The increased endurance of the crew combined with the reduction of electrical fires enabled the completion of 60+ day patrols in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Refrigeration allowed the preservation of food for much greater periods of time. It enabled a greater variety and quality of food to be carried, which made the crew happier and healthier, once again increasing their endurance. The scene from
Das Boot in which the crew was sitting around the table cutting mold off a chunk of cheese will give you a good indication of what it was like in the days before refrigeration.
Kleinschmidt stills allowed a vastly increased production of fresh water over what was possible from the older evaporators. Better food could be prepared, the crew could stay cleaner, and sanitary conditions increased.
All of these advances greatly improved the quality of life aboard the USN fleet boats. By keeping the crew healthier and happier the boat's ability to carry out its mission improved as well. Other navys often scoffed at these "unneeded luxuries", but the fact remains that the USN was able to work in these new technologies without compromising the fighting ability or mechanical reliability of the boat. If that is the case, then why not do it?
Make no mistake, though, that life on a diesel submarine was some sort of pleasure cruise. It was not.
Even with A/C it was always hot in the boat. It was entirely normal to have interior temps in the 80's F., and temps in the engine room would routinely reach 100 deg and higher. Enginemen would come forward to crew's mess for a drink of water and would start shivering, even though the temp in crew's mess was 85 deg.! The 20 deg difference between the engine room and crew's mess was all it took.
The Kleinschmidt stills were a great advance, but they tended to be a bit cranky. Fresh water production usually fell behind and with most of it going to the batteries and for drinking by the crew, the crew was often restricted in how often you could take a shower. The interval frequently stretched to a week or more. This made for some smelly bodies.
The sanitary tanks that the toilets emptied into were emptied by pressurizing them with air and blowing the contents through a valve and overboard. The crewman conducting this evolution had to follow the procedure to the letter or contents of the tank would force themselves up in a rather forceful manner through sink drains and the toilets and into the interior of the boat. This situation, to put it mildly, is very unpleasant and if it happens makes for a bad day. Even with a successful and proper blowing of the sanitary tanks, before the toilets can be put back into operation, the residual air pressure has to be vented from the tank. If you are on the surface, no problem, it gets vented overboard. But if you are submerged the tank gets vented into the interior of the boat, and this once again is not very pleasant.
Smoke from the engines, incessant noise from ventilation fans and other machinery, zero personal space, and a myriad of unpleasant smells all tended to make life aboard a diesel submarine difficult and trying. Yet despite this, or perhaps because of it, a bond stronger than any other developed amongst the crew. A brotherhood born of shared adversity develops and serious disputes and fights amongst the crew are extraordinarily rare.
I highly encourage you to surf over to the link that Pacific Ace provided above. The stories there by Dex Armstrong give an accurate picture of life aboard a diesel boat. Although written during the Cold War, they still accurately depict the conditions that were faced during WWII. Dex is also an extraordinary writer and his stories are hugely entertaining and sometimes outrageously funny.